The Cost of Loyalty

Reviews

“Brave . . . [The Cost of Loyalty] should land like a grenade. Unlike the myriad critiques of the military that wash over the institution from outside the Blob, this one is written by a professor with 20 years on the inside. He knows the instructors, the culture, the admissions process, the scandals, the cover-ups, and how its legendary “warrior-scholars” have performed after graduation and on the battlefield . . . if the real sausage is made at the military academies, then Bakken has invited us in on some of the more distasteful elements going right on under our noses.” [The Cost of Loyalty] reads like an Auditor General’s Report – endless examples of incompetence, bias, total disregard for the constitution, wasted money and unindicted criminal activity. Its actions lead to deaths in the millions. Its extravagance costs taxpayers trillions . . . [Tim Bakken proves] the military simply disregards the civilian world and operates separately, under its own system, totally incompatible with American values and laws. Strikes hard at the military establishment. The author’s condemnation of the idea of loyalty above all else is not without stark examples. The author has been a target of reprisals for espousing contrary views, yet a steely resolve led him to fight. The power of persuasion is present throughout this work. A provocative, disturbing argument that a democracy is in trouble when it venerates the military unconditionally. [The Cost of Loyalty is] a blistering, top-to-bottom critique of America’s armed forces . . . Bakken’s insider perspective, litany of shocking examples, and evidence-based approach combine to paint a grim picture of failures by U.S. political and military leaders and their implications for the future . . . this essential and disturbing account illuminates the state of the problem. Hard-hitting and timely . . . Bakken offers withering commentary on the indoctrination that begins in the academies and results in a perverse patriotism that pushes military leaders into an "us vs. them" mentality. This tendency, according to Bakken, combined with resistance to civilian oversight, has cost America countless lives and has resulted in the failure of every major military engagement since the end of the World War II. A scalding account of the self-rewarding ethos that permeates (and weakens) today's military leadership from West Point to the Pentagon, Tim Bakken's The Cost of Loyalty should be required reading for all members of Congress. The Cost of Loyalty articulates a glaring and unflattering dilemma within the armed forces, where loyalty is often the principal value chosen over the military services’ common core values. Leaders of character must continue to train and educate the force, and this book is a must read for every military institution—if not all Congressional members and staff. Deeply researched, finely written, and ultimately iconoclastic. This is a book that needs to be read by all Americans. I do not say that often, in fact, I believe this is the first time. Tim Bakken makes the case for a re-adjustment in the way we as American citizens consider our military and how we determine the issues of war and peace . . . [an] indictment that has long been overdue. Traces a path of corruption, barbarism, violence, and unaccountability that makes its way from the United States’ military academies . . . to the top ranks of the U.S. military and U.S. governmental policy, and from there into a broader U.S. culture that, in turn, supports the subculture of the military and its leaders . . . honest and accurate. [The Cost of Loyalty] speaks to me at multiple levels simultaneously . . . I found myself unconsciously squirming in my chair while examining [Bakken’s] text in detail. I know and understand this discomfort from personal hard-won experience. It happens when reading an essential truth that I wish was false." Riveting. The Cost of Loyalty is compelling and the subject matter is too important to ignore. The most powerful, realistic, and important book I’ve read in thirty years. I cannot recommend it strongly enough. Expand reviews